Sunday Photo Fiction is a weekly challenge presented by my old friend Al Forbes.
The idea is to write a short story (200 word max) inspired by what you see in his picture (below).
Time, and time travel, is something which I, and many others, find fascinating.
Which makes it an ideal subject for Sound Bite Fiction.Click on this link to enter your tale, and see what others have written.

Copyright Al Forbes

Forewarned

Time travel is fun.
I have been to the future three times now, just to make sure my machine works.
I travel to and from an empty apartment I have on a long term lease.
I avoid any possibility of conflict, merely observe from the windows.
Everything seems to be in order.
So I decide I want to do more, to interact.
I stay close to my own time, I don’t want to be unaware of big changes.
So, two days from now, I walk out of the apartment and stroll to a café I visit rarely.
I don’t want to meet myself!
I drink coffee, read the sports section.
Scotland beaten at rugby, no surprise there.
Then the TV catches my eye.
That looks like me, like that holiday photo.
I hurry to the counter, ask for the volume to be increased.
The girl sighs, shrugs, finds the remote.
‘… Police investigations continue’, and the next item appears.
What was that, I demand, far too loudly.
Calm down, she says, nothing important. Oh, but it was just round the corner there.
What, I am shouting, fighting panic now.
She raises an eyebrow, shrugs one shoulder.
Just some crackpot inventor got himself hacked to pieces.

A great story! Time travel is always a fascinating subject. The question of whether or not it’s possible to change the future is an intriguing one. I have to wonder what would happen if he just decided to stay in the future and never return to be hacked to pieces…

Well, you don’t yet know about his sick child, cancer-ridden father, or dog with worms.
But thank you, you are absolutely right, it is fascinating, and we can only play around the edges and hopefully provoke some thought.
I enjoyed your comment, it adds to the discussion, thank you.

It’s a good question. I think in the context of a story of course. If you have ever seen the movie Prince of Persia the main character does just that. In the scheme of life, I’d say when it’s your time, it’s your time. And if you think your going to die and you don’t, then it really wasn’t your time. Great story!

Hi Dave.
It seems, according to the TV and the young lady, that I am already ‘hacked to pieces’.
Can I somehow avoid it?
That is the question.
And, as you shrewdly ask, what are the repercussions if I do?

That’s a bit harsh, Dale, he did not ‘mess with time’, just had a wee jaunt into the future.
And he has not done anything, except get hacked to bits tomorrow, or yesterday, depending on your point of view.

My bad…I did not want to be harsh! I should have simply stated there are always dangers when going back and forth in time…after all, don’t all the movies show this? 😉
And se? Your poor hero will/did pay the ultimate price!

Reblogged this on anelephantcant and commented:
AnElephantCant always be funny
And occasionally he can’t dream up a rhyme
It’s not that he’s thick
And he is rarely sick
But there are days when he just can’t find the time